Archive for August 2015

Donald Trump is not talking to everybody. He draws an audience of frustrated, mostly middle-class Americans who are still hurting from the Great Recession. They want to blame someone. China is an easy target. So are illegal immigrants and Mexico and other faceless culprits. Furthermore, his audience has legitimate concerns. They are fully aware that both political parties ignore them.

This does not make Trump wrong.

The true culprits are the politicians of both parties.

Nor does this make Trump the answer.

How frustrated do people in the United States have to get before they start looking for a true savior?

For decades, the people have let politicians of both parties run the nation into the ground.

1st AMENDMENT: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

MEANING

— Your religion is your business and not the government’s. Religion is strictly about worship. Religious organizations’ non-religious activity is subject to all laws.

— Free Speech is saying whatever you want, unless it has the intent to incite physical harm to people or property.

— Freedom of the Press is Free Speech for the media.

— Peaceably assembly allows people to gather together without hindrance. This does not permit riots or any other disturbance that interferes with individual rights and the access to public property.

— You can ask the government to remedy wrongs.

SYNOPSIS

The 1st AMENDMENT prohibits the government from attacking or restricting your freedom.

But also puts limits on extreme or unreasonable actions by individuals or organizations.

A recent Gallup poll shows that 75% of our country believes there is significant corruption in government. They’re tired of it. They want to try something different. It is telling that a recent Michigan poll of Republican party activists found that 55% would go with untested non-politicians.

There is corruption in ALL levels and ALL departments of government.

And there is just as much incompetence.

If Americans really believe government is corrupt, why do they keep voting for the same politicians?

— nearly one in five American children living with married parents receives food-stamp assistance today, almost double the rate prior to the Great Recession

— more than 60% of Americans do not have enough savings to cover a $500 repair bill or a $1,000 emergency-room visit

— more than half of American households have less than one month of income in savings

— nearly 40% of existing jobs on America pay less than $15 an hour; worse, nearly half of all new jobs are low-wage jobs, and about 48% of the projected job openings nationally do not even pay $15

— the middle class, once more than half the households in the country, has continued to shrink and is now about 43% of the country — and a large portion of those are retirees who have pensions to supplement their Social Security income

These are not the statistics of a fundamentally strong nation.

The country is internally weak — a service-sector economy populated by low-wage workers who live their life on credit, one paycheck to the next, struggling to feed their children without government support.

The cause of this is not China, big business or the rich.

It is solely the fault of corrupt/incompetent politicians and know-nothing economists.

The solution?

— Throw all democratic and republican politicians out of office.

— Stop letting charlatan economists run(ruin) the economy. Very few economists know the least thing about how the economy really works.